I’d consider myself a ‘music connoisseur.’ A lot of my days consist of listening and discovering new songs, creating new playlists whenever I’m feeling a particular emotion or experiencing something specific. Therefore, I do believe that music has played a big role in my life. Now, I am not here to review music (I don’t think I am qualified enough to do so), but rather write a short recap about every new album and song that has dropped in January.
2022 (like any other year) has called for many highly anticipated albums from many different musical artists. From rappers to pop music, I’ve written a short summary below about some of the new albums and singles that dropped in January.
Albums that dropped in January
In no chronological order, listed below are some albums that dropped in January, as well as some favorites from each album (if I have listened to it)
CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs
CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs was released on January 14th, 2022. I have been a big FKA twigs fan for quite some time, discovering her through her 2019 album “MAGDELENE.” CAPRISONGS is an album completely different from what FKA twigs has released in the past. Her angelic, falsetto voice is tied to a plethora of contrasting vibes that the album offers. With many guest features, like Daniel Caesar, The Weeknd, Jorja Smith, and Rema, this entire album makes me want to dance around in my room.
Some of my favourite songs from the album:Â
- tears in the club FKA twigs (feat. The Weeknd)
- darjeeling by FKA twigs (feat. Jorja Smith and Unknown T)
- oh my love by FKA twigs
Dawn FM by The Weeknd
Dawn FM By The Weeknd, was released on January 6th, 2022. One of the most highly anticipated albums of 2022, Dawn FM explores themes of retro 80s, psychedelic, dance, and synth-pop all meshed into one album. I would say that Dawn FM is completely different than what The Weeknd’s old musical works sound like. Originally, I didn’t enjoy listening to the album. However, it grew on me after listening to it on repeat for a few hours. Jim Carey is also featured on both the intro and outro songs of the album, which I think was a pretty cool touch.
Some of my favorite songs from the album:Â
- Here We Go… Again by The Weeknd (feat. Tyler, The Creator)
- Less Than Zero by The Weeknd
- How Do I Make You Love Me by The Weeknd
From a Birds Eye View by Cordae
From A Birds Eye View by Cordae, was released on January 14th, 2022. Another highly anticipated album in 2022, From a Birds Eye View by Cordae raised the bar high for January 14th’s new music Friday. Cordae’s lyrical fluidity, style and mix between old school and new school rap is evident in his newest album. On the day of the album’s drop, Cordae encouraged his fans to listen to the album from start to beginning (the post can be found here). In the post, he mentions that each individual song were inspired by real-life events, emotions, and experiences. With guest features from Eminem, Stevie Wonder, H.E.R., Gunna, and many others, Cordae sets the bar high for music in 2022.
Some of my favorite songs from the album:
- Chronicles by Cordae (feat. H.E.R and Lil Durk)
- Westlake High by Cordae
- Want From Me by Cordae
Brightside by Rich Brian
Brightside by Rich Brian, was released on January 20th, 2022. The Indonesian rapper, a member of 88Rising (a musical company that serves as a platform and record label for many Asian creatives) dropped the album on January 20th, surprising many. A ‘rap-heavy’ album, Rich Brian mentions in an article by Pitchfork that the album is meant to be a ‘mental note’ of how the past year accelerated his ‘growing-up’ process as an artist and a person.
My favorite song from the album:
- Sunny by Rich Brian
Singles that have dropped
In no chronological order, listed below are some of my favorite singles that have dropped in January.
- Light Switch by Charlie Puth
- Don’t text me when your drunk by Stacey Ryan and Zai1K
- Rapture in Blue by Cautious Clay
- Grateful by DHRV
- All my Ghosts by Lizzy McAlpine
- Vickie by Peach Pit
- dejavu by lullaboy
- Call Me Your Hope by Tobias DrayÂ
- Lost on Me by Eric NamÂ
- Cowboys Don’t Cry by Oliver Tree
- Love It When You Hate Me by Avril Lavigne (feat. Blackbear)
- squares by cavetown
- Love Me More by Mitski
- Ride or Die by Hippo Campus
Overall, for the start to the new year, the music industry did not disappoint with what has been released thus far. When this post gets published, it’ll be a week earlier than the last NMF of January, so I’m assuming that there will be a lot more amazing songs that’ll be released nearing the end of the month. If you want to stay updated on new music that drops on Fridays, feel free to check out the Spotify playlist New Music Friday and the Apple Music equivalent, Best of the Week.
Music in 2022 has started off on the right foot, and I’m excited to see what the rest of the year has in store, music-wise!
sources | featured, 001,002, 003
